New Japan Pro Wrestling 3/15/2025 New Japan Cup 2025 Day 6

New Japan Pro Wrestling 3/15/2025 New Japan Cup 2025 Day 6

Day 5 is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/03/new-japan-pro-wrestling-3142025-new.html

Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. TMDK (Hartley Jackson & Ryohei Oiwa)

Yoshi side headlocks Oiwa. Oiwa armdrags him and is chopped. Oiwa shoulders him over. ishii comes in and hits forearms on Oiwa. Oiwa spinning forearms him. Ishii shoulders him over. Hart hits a double shoulderblock. Oiwa is sent into Hart. Oiwa gutwrench suplexes Yoshi then Yoshi headhunters him.

Ishii and Hart go at it. Hart dropkicks him. Hart corner splashes him and lariats him. Hart misses a senton on Ishii. Hart takes a superkick and a lariat to the back. Hart forearms Ishii then Oiwa backdrops Ishii. Ishii then takes a senton and a splash. Hart death valley drivers Ishii for 2.

Ishii germans Hart. Hart hits a big lariat on Ishii then sitout powerbombs him for 2. Hart goes for a ddt and is superkicked. Yoshi then superkicks him again and lariats him.Ishii sliding forearms Hart for 2. Ishii brainbusters Hart in an impressive move and pins him.

Thoughts: This was a good opener. It was fast paced with lots of action. They got somnething good out of everyone here and this couldn't have gone much better than it did. Hart was brave to take that brainbuster from Ishii. 

El Phantasmo, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Oleg Boltin & Toru Yano vs. United Empire (Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan, Jakob Austin Young & TJP)

Khan and Tana go at it. Khan takes him down then sends him into the corner. Tana back elbows him out of the corner and 2nd rope twisting crossbodies him.

Khan double chops Yano then uppercuts him. Khan sits on Yano's neck in the corner then hits him with a turnbuckle pad. CN hits Yano in the gut then elbows him in the back of the head. CN boots Yano then Yano pulls CN down by the hair. Oleg gets in and flips CN with a shoulder. Oleg catches Jake's flying headscissors and hits karelins lift off of it.

Oleg corner splashes CN, throws him on a slam and splashes him for 2. CN legsweeps Oleg then basement dropkicks him. TJP hits kicks on ELP. ELP 2nd rope twisting crossbodies him then asai moonsaults him for 2.

TJP does an octopus to ELP then spin kicks him. ELP hits a nice dropkick on him. Khan corner lariats ELP then takes a slingblade. Tana takes an enzugiri. Oleg then hits a double shoulderblock. TJP hurricanrana's ELP as he goes for a dive then pins him.

Thoughts: I liked this one like the opener. It was fast paced and it had some good moments in before it ended. Oleg had a good showing in this one.

ELP shows TJP his title and TJP takes it from him.

House Of Torture (Ren Narita, SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) vs. BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Chase Owens, Gabe Kidd & SANADA)

The fight starts out on the floor before the bell is rung. Gabe sends Ren into the rails then bangs his head off the timekeepers table. Gabe sends Ren into the rails.

Sho trips Gabe then Gabe is stomped on by 3 people. Gabe corner lariats Ren then back body drops him. Gabe hits forearms on Ren then pushes the ref over. Gabe corner dropkicks Ren. Gabe lariats Ren over the top and goes with him. Gabe sends Ren into the rails then punches him.

Gabe gets 3v1'd outside and we go to a double countout.

Thoughts: This was the usual HoT BS with the added attraction of Sanada never really getting involved.

Sanada then walks off as Gabe gets beaten up after. Gabe and Ren fight into the seats. Ren hits Gabe with a chair and an umbrella. 

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji) vs. House Of Torture (Dick Togo, EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi)

Naito is hit by Evil form behind to starts. He sends Evil into Yujiro. Yujiro knocks Togo off the apron on a failed double team. Naito back elbows Yujiro the nbaseball slides him in the back of the head.

Bushi hits shots on Yujiro and Yujiro bites Bushi's fingers. Bushi upside down kicks Yujiro out of the corner then is crotched on the top rope by Evil. Yujiro stomps on Bushi.

Evil eye rakes Bushi. Togo then rips at Bushi's mask. Evil chokes Bushi with a towel. Bushi takes a knee to the gut from Evil. Bushi dropkicks him in the knee. Yota comes in and hits forearms on Evil. Yota flying headscissors him. Yota corner splashes Evil then slams him. Yota then hits a splash for 2.

Evil superkicks Yota. Yota takes a double shoulderblock. Yota's head is banged off the buckles and Yota takes corner attacks. Yota is put in a headstand and is chopped in the crotch for 2.

Togo chokes Yota with a weapon and Naito breaks it up. Bushi dropkicks Evil in the knee then topes Yujiro. Togo eye rakes Yota then takes a pumping knee. Yota hits a big spear on Togo and wins.

Thoughts: It was average and not much of note. The heels heeled it up here then Yota made a comeback and won.

Evil goes for everything is evil on Yota after. Yota blocks it and superkicks him.

New Japan Cup 2025 Quarter Final Match - Shingo Takagi vs. Drilla Moloney

Shingo hits forearms and DM forearms him back. Shingo hits punches in the corner. They shoulder battle then pose. They trade forearms. DM dropkicks him then Shingo shoulders him over. DM spinning chops him. Shingo lariats him on the ropes then takes a spinebuster.

DM spinning enzugiri's him for 2. Shingo back body drops him. Shingo slams and sentons him. Shingo back elbows him then lariats him. DM brainbusters him then rolling spears him for 2. Shingo hits a death valley driver on the floor. Shingo hits a corner lariat. DM hits a made in Japan for 2.

Shingo hits a noshigami. Shingo hits a punch and headbutt. He lariats DM. Shingo avoids an over the shoulder piledriver and sliding lariats him. Shingo hits a last falconry then running lariats him for 2. Shingo then hits a burning dragon and wins.

Thoughts: The death valley driver on the floor should have finished it but it didn't. The idea was fine otherwise but I didn't like match continuing this after that. It was a hard hitting match with high impact moves and big lariats as expected.

New Japan Cup 2025 Quarter Final Match - Jeff Cobb vs Shota Umino

Shota hits forearms. They shoulder battle. Cobb shoulders him over. Shota dropkicks him. Cobb throws him on a suplex and rams him into the corner. Cobb does a flying corner spear. Cobb clubs him then throws him on a suplex.

Cobb surfs on Shota's back. Shota hits forearms then dropkicks him in the knee. Shota neckbreakers him. Shota running euros him and dropkicks him in the knee. Shota then does an STF. Cobb ropebreaks.

They trade forearms. Cobb superkicks him. Cobb backdrops him and sentons him. Cobb hits a spincycle backdrop then Shota tornado ddt's him. Cobb spinebusters him then faling lariats him on the mat. Shota enzugiri's him then Cobb dropkicks him. Cobb F-5's him for 2.

Shota is flipped with a lariat. Shota then half nelson suplexes him. Shota running lariats him for 2. Shota running knees him then hits a northern lights bomb for the win.

Thoughts: I liked it. I didn't love Shota throwing Cobb around here though as Cobb is heavier. Shota had good looking offense here and the two matched up well. 

New Japan Cup 2025 Quarter Final Match - David Finlay vs Yuya Uemura

DF backs up Yuya on the ropes and rakes his face. Yuya armdrags him and armlocks him. DF hits shots to the gut then Yuya throws him by the wrist. Yuya bangs DF's arm off the mat then low dropkicks him in the arm. Yuya hits corner chops. DF catches him on the up and over, drops his throat on the ropes and russian legsweeps him for 2.

DF hits mounted shots and sends Yuya into the buckles. Yuya takes a corner lariat. Yuya goes up and over and armdrags him. Yuya then chops him down. Yuya backdrops him then armbars him.

Yuya back body drops him then muso's him. Yuya running chops him. Yuya's throat is pulled down over the top. DF running shoulders him into the rail. DF dominators him. DF hits crossface shots. 

Yuya cradles him for 2 then blocks overkill. Yuya germans him for 2. DF drops down and Yuya gets a 2 count on him. DF backbreakers him on the knee. DF buckle bombs him and Yuya hurricanrana's him. Yuya takes a bunch of spinning forearms. Yuya dragon suplexes him for 2. Yuya hits a top rope crossbody.

DF catches his crossbody and powerbombs him for 2. DF hits a nasty looking oblivion and wins with overkill.

Thoughts: It was alright. DF's strong style offense looked a little better here against Yuya as Yuya isn't some big dude who is a lot heavier than he is. Yuya sold well and was a decent face. I'm not sure why they had DF win but few companies love a wrestler like NJPW loves DF. 

Sanada comes out after. He stands over Yuya then hits deadfall on him.

New Japan Cup 2025 Quarter Final Match - Taichi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Zack hits euros and is chopped. Tai running facekicks him. They evade each others moves and Tai backdrops him.  Zack is sent into the rails outside. Tai snapmares him inside and kicks him in the back. Zack snapmares him back twice and kicks him in the back. Zack twists his neck with his feet. Zack headscissors him and pulls on the fingers. Zack hits euros and suplexes him.

Zack boots him while he's down. Tai gets up and hits chops. Zack euros the arm. Tai corner enzugiri's him. Tai corner facekicks him. Tai then hits a side kick. Tai spin kicks him in the gut and buzzsaw kicks him in the head. Tai pulls his pants off. 

Tai goes for a superkick and is heel hooked. Tai ropebreaks. Zack stomps the leg. Tai leg kicks him and is hit with euros. Zack euros him down. Zack hits facekicks and is chest kicked multiple times. Zack chest kicks him back and they trade chest kicks. 

Zack goes for an octopus and Tai turns it into a stretch  plum. Zack ropebreaks. Tai hits Kawada kicks. Zack then hits a michinoku driver. Tai hits an emerald flowsion for 2. Zack lariats him then is lariated. Tai then backdrops him for 2. Zack hits a gotch-style piledriver. Tai then gets a 2 count on him. Zack spinning michinoku drivers him then switches to a leglock.

Zack then moves to a weird figure four and then a leglock. Tai ropebreaks. Tai hits an air raid crash. They go face to face and trade shots. Zack facekicks him, hits a spinning forearm and takes a gemnigiri. Tai hits another gamengiri. Tai then hits a 3rd. Zack PK's him and Tai superkicks him for 2.

Zack rolls him up and holds onto the legs for 2. Tai facekicks him and misses a gamengiri. Zack bridge pins him and wins.

Thoughts: Tai using various old All Japan moves to try and win was interesting. Zack did a bunch of submissions that didn't really go anywhere along with his usual offense. It was alright but there wasn't a lot of story and there wasn't enough to call this one great.

IWGP World Heavyweight Title Match - Hirooki Goto (c) vs Yuji Nagata

Goto side headlock takeovers him and is headscissored. They then stand up. They clean break on the ropes then Yuji slaps him. Goto misses an elbow drop and is armbarred. Goto ropebreaks. Goto pulls Yuji's leg around the middle rope.

Goto trips him and pulls on the leg. Goto then does a leglock. Goto boots him in the gut then Yuji hits a magic screw. Yuji hits chest kicks. Yuji corner facekicks him then hits an exploder for 2. Goto hits a lariat.

Goto spinning heel kicks him in the corner and backdrops him. They trade forearms and Yuji does an armbar. Yuji hits chest kicks then shoulderbreakers him. Yuji hits a step up knee in the corner.

They fight on the buckles and Yuji 2nd rope exploders him for 2. Goto hits elbows to the neck and Yuji germans him. Yuji backdrops him for 2. Yuji hits knees to the gut and Goto lariats him. 

Yuji corner facekicks him then takes a GTW for 2. They trade forearms. Goto hits headbutts. Goto hits a bad shouten-kai for 2. Yuji spinning heel kicks him and takes a lariat. Goto PK's him then hits a GTR for the win.

Thoughts: It was an okay and solid match but not much more. Yuji has his limits and wasn't testing them here and they didn't try to go too far here. There was nothing wrong with it but it would have been better 10 years ago.

Goto then talks on the mic after. 

Overall thoughts: Outside of the House of Torture stuff, I didn't mind this show at all. It had a bunch of okay matches on it that weren't great or bad. There's nothing must see on here but it was a perfectly acceptable show from NJPW. I'd give it a 6 out of 10 and would have given it a much higher rating if we could have gotten something great on this one.